America’s high diplomat postpones trip plans for ninth journey to Center East since taking workplace Hamas beneath assault Israel On October 7, he’ll fly to Tel Aviv forward of an anticipated assembly with Israeli leaders.
He has visited Arab international locations steadily on earlier journeys however no additional stops had been instantly introduced.
Blinken flies out of Andrews Air Pressure Base after president urges two days of ceasefire talks Joe Biden Mediation with Egypt and Qatar resulted in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
U.S. officers mentioned that they had made progress and provided proposals to bridge the variations between Israel and Hamas, with talks set to renew late subsequent week in Cairo.
Biden mentioned “we’re nearer than ever” to a deal, and a U.S. official mentioned the method had not but entered its “closing levels.” Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned in a press release that negotiators had been “cautiously optimistic” about reaching a deal and known as for stress on Hamas, which has dismissed discuss of an imminent truce.
Underneath the plan laid out by Biden on Might 31, preventing would stop for an preliminary six weeks and be prolonged as negotiations completely finish and hostages and prisoners are launched.
Whereas Biden mentioned the deal got here from Israel, Netanyahu confronted sturdy criticism from far-right allies who’ve saved his authorities in energy.
The ceasefire could be a significant victory for Biden as his Democratic Get together holds its conference in Chicago and nominates Vice President Kamala Harris.
Professional-Palestinian activists have vowed to carry demonstrations in Chicago, angered by the Biden administration’s extreme help for Israel, which just lately permitted $20 billion price of weapons gross sales to Israel.
Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the battle, killing 1,198 individuals, largely civilians, in accordance with an AFP tally of official Israeli knowledge.
Greater than 40,000 individuals have been killed within the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, together with 15 individuals from the identical household killed in a brand new spherical of airstrikes, authorities mentioned.
